Long, thin sticks are scattered on the table in a heap. The black one is used as a tool to pick up the others. The player picks up sticks one at a time, until he causes any other stick to move besides the one he is attempting to pick up. Score points based on the color retrieved.

The game is believed to have developed from the yarrow stalks used for divination with the Chinese I Ching.

Published in Germany about 1850. This concept has been re-published in Germany, 2003, by HABA as Mikado, a game Ages 5 and up

The game was played in Sweden from the beginning of the 19th century. In Poland it's known as Bierki, and has been and still is one of the most well-known, classic family games (along with Pchełki and Chińczyk), played frequently by children up to end of the 20th century.